Haroon’s Scoolsmart provides opportunities for technology companies to find solutions for education.
What’s your story?
I was formerly a banker and turned entrepreneur. I founded Scoolsmart to create innovative solutions for education and revolutionize on-line learning in the face of the Covid 19 pandemic. This is a unique opportunity for technology companies to find solutions for education which result in a paradigm shift globally.
What excites you most about your industry?
It was eye-opening to see technology starting to change the education system during my trips to China. Moreover, a revolution has started to take place in education globally and Covid 19 is the catalyst to accelerate this trend. Traditional campuses must wake up and accept the change which is now unstoppable. We, at Scoolsmart, have thrown our hat in the ring and are embracing the change. An estimated 1.5 billion students (along with approx. 3 billion parents) were deprived of education during the last few months due to Covid 19. Technology and innovation must rise to this “once-in-a-lifetime” challenge in order to deliver education. We are talking about a trillion-dollar plus education marketplace. Globally, educational institutions, from kindergartens to universities, are scratching their heads and clueless on the use of zoom and other inappropriate technologies as these platforms do not treat data privacy and security as is expected of education ecosystems. We, at Scoolsmart, are addressing all these issues and preparing innovative solutions to revolutionise education ecosystem globally.
Scoolsmart is an integrated platform with back-end digital school management system and apps for parents and student to get real-time notifications along with on-line video conferencing with security features to protect minors. Furthermore, we are developing integrated Scoolsmart AR and VR functions to deliver education content as fully digital school features. We, at Scoolsmart, are also doing R & D in integrating artificial intelligence and block-chain technologies to enhance our platform and to reduce the cost of education.
Scoolsmart will be launch globally starting in Hong Kong to revolutionise the school ecosystem which is currently fragmented and with a poor on-line education experience. We are solving complex problems such as integrated platforms, differing needs of schools from kindergartens to campuses and strict government requirements for data privacy and security.
What is your connection to Asia?
After graduation from university in the USA I took up banking positions in Asia starting with Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and finally Hong Kong again. So now I call Hong Kong home..
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
Hong Kong by far is my favourite city. There are many pluses for Hong Kong, the biggest being next to China and, more importantly, Shenzhen which has become the Silicon Valley of China for both software and hardware and innovative technologies. Hong Kong being super connector is perfectly situated to access rest of Asia also. Top it all with stable legal financial system and large capital market is great place for entrepreneurs.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Any technology solution that can save time, money and improve people’s lives is a “must” for any start-up to be successful.
Who inspires you?
I think for inspiration there are many, Steve Jobs is one of top on list. His products are touching and improving billions of lives daily
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
I recently saw the news that some student in Malaysia was in a tree doing an exam for 24 hours because of a weak internet signal. I want the Scoolsmart platform to improve the education experience for all, especially the students in developing countries.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I would have founded Scoolsmart earlier as there was always demand to improve the education ecosystem
How do you unwind?
I like reading and more recently on line learning. Also I like to unwind in the gym and in early morning jogging.
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Before the virus I would like to travel to Thailand, Thailand being near and with good beaches.
Everyone in business should read this book:
The Future is Faster than you Think
How Converging Technologies are transforming business, industries and our lives by Peter Diamandis.
Shameless plug for your business:
Education is a common experience for all of us, before as students and now perhaps as parents. This industry is undergoing revolutionary change accelerated by Covid 19 virus and I would like to think Scoolsmart would be one of the companies to connect all the dots and create innovative and technically superior products to create new digital educational ecosystem globally.
How can people connect with you?
Via Linkedln Haroon Hasan
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Callum Laing is an entrepreneur and investor based in Singapore. He has previously started, built, and sold half a dozen businesses and is now a Partner at Unity-Group Private Equity and Co-Founder and CEO of MBH Corporation PLC. He is the author of three best-selling books ‘Progressive Partnerships’, ‘Agglomerate’, and ‘Entrepreneurial Investing’.
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